To: (Name of Organization or Person representing the Interests of the Tobacco Industry)
From: _______________
Re: Offer of Assistance/ Contribution/Partnership
Date:___________________

Your offer of (state the offer made by the tobacco industry) is duly noted. In response, we wish to express that the (country) recognizes that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death around the world as it kills one out of every two smokers through a tobacco-related disease. Of the 1.3 billion smokers in the world, over 80% come from developing and low-income countries such as ours. And to battle this epidemic, our government has ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and committed to protect our policies from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry (Article 5.3, General Obligations, FCTC).

Our office is aware that accepting assistance, partnerships, or contributions from the tobacco industry provides it with a platform to access policymakers and to disguise the harms of the product. Our office also observes transparency in dealings with the tobacco industry where such interaction is strictly necessary for regulation, in accordance with (cite policy, if any).

Hence, we see no other recourse except to publicly reject your offer/ invitation and remind you that such offers may lead to violations of code of conduct of public officials or our obligations under the WHO FCTC.

(OPTIONAL: In addition, your activity may fall under acts that are prohibited under national laws on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship regulations.)